A diverse store that has Metal T-Shirts, Nirvana memorabilia, gay pride stickers, clothes w/ sharp stuff sticking out of them, and weird little characters like Happy Bunny and Eve L.
Also frequented by 12-ish year old females that like to express themselves by wearing net-sleeved shirts, black jelly bracelets, and put Happy Bunny patches on their backbacks. Pretty much everyone at my school wears something from there.

A store with a dark/alternative theme aimed at teenagers. Found in most local malls. They sell t-shirts, stickers, buttons, jewelry, and some other stuff.

99% of people are faggots about it, and like to assume that only wannabe emo/scene/goth/punk kids shop there. It's become a catch-all phrase to mean "poseur".

In reality, nobody ever walks into that store and sees nothing but clowns trying really hard to be emo/scene/goth/punk, but just normal people.

Half the people who make a big deal about Hot Topic being a poseur store have bought stuff from them in the past anyway, and a lot are probably poseur emo/scene/goth/punk kids trying really hard to convince everyone else they're for real.

In short, Hot Topic is just a store that sells some pretty neat stuff, and everybody who whines about it being for poseurs is a kneejerking dumbass. Oh, but Happy Bunny is really retarded and unfunny, fuck that shit.

Prima: I went to the mall today. I bought these earrings from Hot Topic---

Secunda: OMFG *DEFCON 1* THAT IS A STORE FOR POSEURS!!!!!!!!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???? YOU FUCKING FAKE GOTH!!!!!!!!

Prima: Uh, dude, it's just a fucking store. I'm not a fake goth or a regular goth. What are you talking about anyway, I met you in there last month.

Secunda: SHUT UP YOU FUCKING LOSER, I DO NOT SHOP AT STORES WHERE FAKE POSEURS LIKE YOU SHOP.

A nationwide chain store that cannily markets pre-packaged "individuality" to droves of teenagers and young people who really want to be just like everybody else. A big hit with fans of Avril, Evanessence, etc.

Today's Hot Topic: The irony inherant in teens who buy their entire look from a nationwide chain store in order "to be different".

A store People Shop at with overpriced but Interesting clothes. It is just a place to buy things, it does not define who you are. All shopping there means id that You have a Substantial amount of Money.

Sane Person: I bought this at Hot Topic.
Insane Person: OMG! You Poseur!

Punk in a box. Somehow, kids think that a good way to rebel is to give your money to a multimillion dollar company. Yeah. Maybe if they thought about it for a bit instead of mindlessly stampeding to hot topic to fit in with the trend, they'd realize the stupidity of it all.

Instead of wasting money buying shitty merchandise at hot-topic, maybe you could give to charity or something.